They were served legal documents - on Facebook

We always thought Facebook was a social networking site used mostly by kids to show off racy garments and maybe a new boyfriend, while insulting former boyfriends.

Wrong.

An Australian couple who defaulted on their mortgage have been served legally binding court documents via Facebook.

In what may be a world first, lawyers from Canberra law firm Meyer Vandenberg persuaded a judge in the Australian Capital Territory's Supreme Court to allow them to serve the documents over the internet after repeatedly failing to serve the papers in person.

Lawyer Mark McCormack came up with the Facebook plan after it became clear that the couple did not want to be found.

The pair had ignored emails from the law firm and did not attend a court appearance on Oct 3. Mr. McCormack said the pair had "vanished".

So he looked to Facebook, better known for its tendency to break up marriages and ruin careers, for inspiration.

"It's somewhat novel, however we do see it as a valid method of bringing the matter to the attention of the defendant.”

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